[.ca] The Soul's Religion: Cultivating a Profoundly Spiritual ... (ISBN 0060930195)

From Amazon.com:
Spirituality should never be used as an escape route, according to Thomas Moore's Soul's Religion. Rather, it should be the catalyst that helps us face our everyday failures, angst, and emotional entanglements. This has always been Moore's anthem: that spirituality rests in the depths of experience, in the ordeals and challenges that initiate us into a stronger sense of life's meaning. "This book may look simple, but it is not naive," promises Moore, who sees Soul's Religion as a companion volume to the bestselling Care of the Soul. It doesn't coddle the ego. It offers challenge to the person fully in the flesh while developing at the same time an intelligent and deep-seated spiritual identity.... In this spirituality justice is more important than enlightenment and humor holier than ambition. This is Moore at his best--taking spiritual teachings out of the texts, temples, and churches and applying them to everyday life. The former monk draws upon Christianity, Zen, and Taoism as he shows readers how religion should not be used as a shield. Rather, it should be a tool that cracks open our defenses so we can live without fear and judgments. Time and time again Moore takes readers to the daily place of "emptiness and not knowing," the place where we can best meet God. --Gail Hudson

The continuation of a great body of work.:
Over several books, Thomas Moore has talked about the soul, how it defines who we are and helps shape the direction and essence of our lives. Just when you think he has said all that can be said on the subject, "The Soul's Religion" appears with page after page of fresh insights and analogies. A refreshing part of this book and all his work is that he readily admits he does not have all the answers. In his words, he is "...a simple person struggling as much as anyone else." Yet, if he does not have the answers, he seems to know where they can be found, he guides us to the proverbial water where we can uncover them for ourselves. Moore often refers to the mystics and philsophers of centuries past to help us find insights into the mysteries of the soul. There is no doubt that future generations will refer to his work. No one in our time has spoken so beautifully and masterfully about spirituality and the soul. His words have the ring of truth.

One of the best books I have ever read.:
I have been on a long and winding spiritual journey for twelve years. Part of those twelve years I attempted to become a minister in an enormous "red tape" denomination. I finally decided to turn the church loose and find out who God truly is. Since that time I have been trying to define myself (spiritually). This book has truly been a key to that definition. The key authors that have guided me have been Thomas Merton, Oriah Mountain Dreamer, Thomas Moore, Thomas Keating, and Harold Kushner. Each of the authors have played a major role in my spiritual development. I recommend the book, "The Soul's Religion: Cultivating a Profoundly Spiritual Way of Life" by Thomas Moore, to anyone truly wanting to discover ways to the "core of life"!

Mystical, Profound, and Practical:
This is a great book for people looking for some profound, yet still very practical, wisdom along the spiritual path. Moore is traditionally a Catholic, but since leaving his order of monks in his twenties has found inspiration in virtually all of the world's major religions and mythologies. He embraces the structure and importance of myth to a degree approaching that of someone like Joseph Campbell, interpreting the meanings and symbolisms found therein, but applies them more directly to the personal spiritual path. In this book, the primary idea is that a successful spiritual life must be grounded in a realistic understanding of everyday life, what Moore calls the Soul. The Spirit of religion is high-minded and lofty, always trying to strive toward perfection and enlightenment. The Soul, on the other hand, is possessed of a more contemplative aspect, quietly relishing in life's subtle mysteries and constantly involved in the inner process of change and improvement amidst life's obstacles. Left unchecked by Soul, the Spirit can soar too high (think of the Ikarus myth) into obsessive, unrealistic, and even psychologically dangerous perfectionism, shielding the individual from reality with false security and overactive ego. Moore reminds us that we must strive to see our religion in the everyday, experiencing God in a blade of grass or a complete stranger. If you are looking for a general introduction to spirituality or religion then this isn't the right book. This book is strictly self-help, a small stepping stone that will be most useful for people engaged in faith and looking for advice concerning the common pitfalls of overly enthusiastic idealism. Moore brings us down to Earth, but in a way that can ultimately lead us to much greater heights than we previously knew. Like a tree, our faith must have its roots as well as its branches.

Eloquent:
I think the concept of nourishing ones' inner life is important but might better be found in Thomas Moore's Care of the Soul and the existential concepts in Freedom and Accountability at Work, by Peter Koestenbaum. In this book Thomas Moore takes us through his spiritual journey which may well be interesting for some and I am sure was cathartic for him. He is also an eloquent writer; to that extent I found merit in his pen and leveraged this inspiration into a few poems myself.

'Wisdom is Radiant and Unfading':
This is a most luminous, magical, lyrical and compassionate book. There is much wisdom contained in 'Soul's Religion' & its more detailed than 'Care of the Soul'. Moore addreses life's crucial questions and meditates upon them with profound, ritualistic rhythm. He is able to translate, so eloquently and poetically, his finely-tuned sensibility with an understanding of decades of theological scholarship. Moore honours history and integrates it into his work with dazzling finesse. Moore reminds us of the artful philosophies of the Renaissance. Encourages us to revel and rejoice in the mystery of the Church. In divine, holy ignorance. Solomon 6:'Wisdom is radiant and unfading, and she is easily discerned by those who love her, and is found by those who seek her. She hastens to make herself known to those who desire her. He who rises early to seek her will have no difficulty, for he will find her sitting at his gates' I have found her in this book.